whiteley



(No Model.) i 2 Sheets-' Sheet I. J. WHITELEY.

TRBAD, STEP, MAT, MATTING, zo

No. 844,703. Patsnted- June 29, 1886.

N. PETERS. Phowljlhognphar. Washington. D. C,

(No Mel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. WHITBLBY.

TRBAD, STEP, MAT, MATTING, sw.

No. 344,703. Patented June 29, 1886.

Unirse dramesN Varena Ormea.

TRE/in, STEP, MAT, Mari-me, ae.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 344,703, dated June 29, 18H6.

Application filed February 9, 1886. Serial No. 191,342. (No model.) Patented in England June 19, 1884, No, 9,207, and-October 1l, 1884, No. 13,457; in France June 6, 1885, No. 169,405, and in Belgium June 6, 1885, No. 09,181.

.T0 all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that LJosnrrr WnrrnLnY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Salford, in the county of Lancaster', England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in rIreads, Steps, Mats, Mattings, Floorings, and other VVearing-Surfaces, for which I have received Letters Patent in England, dated .Tune 19, 1884, No. 9,207, and October 11, 1884, No. 13,457; in France by Letters Patent dated June 6, 1885, No. 169,405, and in Belgium by Letters Patent dated .I une (i, 1885, No. 69,181,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the manufacture of mats, mattings, treads, and the like of a combination of india-rubber and metal, wood, or other material.

The india-rubber mats, treads, or mattings at present in use are divided into three types:

First, unperibrated or perforated mats of solid india-rubber. These are expensive and crack in time at the corners, being unsupported by other material.

Second, metallic bars sheathed in rubber tubing. These are heavy and cumbrous, and the rubber is apt to get torn oit the bars unless very thick.

Third, mosaic composed of alternate bars or pieces of rubber and Wood set in a frame or otherwise. rllhis requires a very considerable depth to prevent the rubber being pulled out, and is therefore costly, and unless well bound together is apt to come to pieces.

Now, by my invention the rubber is dovetailed into the wood or metal in such manner as not to be cxtractable by any amount of rubbing or scraping, also, the maximum amount of india-rubber is available for rubbing or tread purposes, and the minimum used for the purpose of holding it in place, and, lastly, the rubber is so well supported ,by cheaper and more rigid backing material that there is little or no liability for it to break off in pieces or crack. Any tough hard material not liable to decomposition can be used for backing. I prefer as cheapest and most suitable wood, iron, brass, or zinc.

Figures 1 and 2 show a portion of a mat or door-covering of metal and rubber. -In these Fig. 1 is a plan View; Fig. 2, a section showing method of construction; Fig. 3, similar section, but showing arrangement when the mat oriloor-covering is reversible. In these A is the india-rubber; B is the metal plate, which can, if desired, be made with a nosing for stairtreads, or Iiat, of any shape to suit its application. The mode of manufactureIpreferin this case is as follows: rlhe metal plate B is made with dovetailed taper, beveled, or recessed holes or spaces of any desired shape, and forms the permanent support for the tread-mat or floor-covering. Over this plate B, I place teinporarily the plates or molds, (shown in dotted lines at C, and in full lines in Fig. 4,) and, if the article be required to be reversible, plates D,also. These latter plates, tapered orbeveled, have holes or spaces of any required shape, corresponding in position and opposite to the holes or spaces in the plate B. I new iill in these holes or spaces with masticated or soft plastic india-rubber dough, suitably prepared for 'Vulcanizingg and in plugs or strips of the size'required to fill in both or all three plates, as the case may be. The plates, with the india-rubber in, are now placed in the vulcanizing press, pan, or stove, and are vulcanized to the required point. The plate O or plates C and D are then removed, (andare available for subsequent continuous use,`) leaving the india-rubber projecting and forming the permanent tread, mat, or other wearing-surface in the plate B. The india-rubber, being dovetailed or reversed in this way and vulcanized in place,cannot come out with ordinary wear. Of course vulcanized blocks or strips of indiarubber could be pressed into the holes or lianged recesses in metal plates 5 but this is a more troublesome operation and not nearly so secure; also, the Vulcanization cannot in this latter case be carried quite to the best degree of hardness-namely, tolerably hard-*but still im'pressionable and elastic, so that when pressed a little out of shape it shall at once regain it on the pressure being removed.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a street, cellar, or decklight frame supplied with india-rubber blocks in this way. These prevent the feet slipping on the iron or iron and glass,as theindia-rubber is very tenacious, aud being raised above the glass keeps the weight oil' the latter. Carriage and omnibus steps and many other sur- IOO shape the india-rubber is.

faces can be made non-slippery in this way. In both these last cases it is immaterial what I prefer to make it round in horizontal contour, as the holes are easily bored and countersunk; but, as shown in Fig. 7, some or all of the india-rubber pieces can be put in in long strips.

, In the foregoing description the metallic plates may be made as gratings, allowing the dirt to fall through intervening spaces between the rows.

Figs. 5 and 6 show my invention used with wooden instead of metallic backing. In this, as the wood would char, warp, or be injured if putin the vulcanizing-oven, I prefer to make the rubber in long strips of dovetail .section by putting a mouth-piece ofthe required section to the masticating-machine. rIhese strips E are vulcanized, and then placed in the dovetail spaces between the wooden strips G. The latter are cut to the required size and section and molded by machinery, having the dovetail or recess prepared in the sides of each strip G. These strips are bored for the bolts II, upon which bulk they are threaded. I then insert the strips E of vulcanized india-rubber. The whole is then clamped together, and the bolts H, secured by the nuts I, bind the mat, matting, or floor-covering rmly and securely together. rI he projecting surfaces of the strips E prevent any Wear or injury to the surface of the supporting-strips of wood G. It is ob` vious that at any time the worn or damaged strips E can be easily and cheaply renewed. The under side of the mat, matting, or tloorcovering can be polished, so that by turning it over an elastic and polished floor is obtained for dancing or similar purposes.

I do not claim in this application 'the matting or floor-covering shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 9, as the same will form the subject-matter of another application, hereafter to be filed.

I claim as my invention l. As a new article of manufacture, a reversible mat or floor-covering consisting ot" a perforated plate and rubber plugs filling the perforations in said plate and projecting from each side thereof.

2. A mat, tread, or matting formed of a inetallic plate, B, with rubber pieces A projecting through holes in said plate, and of larger width above and below the narrowest sections of the holes, whereby a reversible mat is formed, with rubber held from coming out on either side.

3. A mat, floor-covering, or tread formed of a metallic ground-work and projections of india-rubber pressed soft into said ground-work and vulcanized therein.

4. The method of forming mats, iloorvcoverings, or treads, which consists in covering the metal frame-work with a metallic plate having holes corresponding in shape to the required shape of the rubber projections to be formed, and placed opposite the holes in the frame work, filling said holes in both the frame-work and the covering-plate with maslticated rubber, and vulcanizing thc same in 

